The Passaic High School Boys Cross Country Team after their county championship victory. Photo by Mr. Falcon
By Adrian Serrano
The coaches waited eagerly at the finish line on top of the hill at Garret Mountain waiting to see who would take the County Champion title. Joseph Zisa from Wayne Hills appeared at the bottom of the hill leading the race. The tension grew as Clifton, Passaic County Technical Institute, and the Passaic High School coaches waited to see who was behind him.
One of Passaic’s captains, Joel Garcia started to go up the hill right behind Jackson from Passaic Tech and Kevin from Clifton. They finished the race in that order and Joel clocked an amazing time of 17:15. Soon after Luis Peralta, Elijah Perez, and Leonardo Bravo passed the finish line within the top ten making it almost a guaranteed win for the team.
The last three people from the Passaic team to finish were Mark Rodriguez, Jerry Olvera, and Darshak Rana. Thanks to them, the win for Passaic was absolute.
Passaic High School’s seven runners finished the race before any other school finished four of their runners.
Shortly after the race started, Coach Falcon went to the coaches bridge and waited impatiently for the runners to pass by so he could see where they stood individually and as a team. After the first lap, Falcon went back to the top of the hill where the race would end.
After a hard fight, Passaic finished the race and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who was the winner. Passaic scored 42 points and beat Clifton (72) Wayne Hills (76) and Passaic Tech (85).
The athletes stated that they are grateful for the dedication they have given to this sport, because they were rewarded for it in the end. The hours of practicing and perseverance they put into the Cross Country team had made them physically and mentally stronger.
The last time that the Passaic Boys Cross Country Team has won the Passaic County Championship was 1999 before this year’s victory. These boys have created a legacy that runners will strive to match for years to come.
This wasn’t their only victory for the season, the team also won the League meet. Unfortunately, they were not able to take the title because of their two losses in the season.
The Cross Country team had a good record throughout the season of 4-2 (for dual meets) and won five other titles. This is a true example of how hard work and dedication will pay off.
